Chapter 901
“Amateurs,” Alistair muttered. He waited a beat, then pulled out, heading in the opposite direction toward the secluded beach house.
At Oracle, the atmosphere was poisonous.
Arthur Sterling, Skye’s uncle, strolled in like he owned the place. His suit cost more than Parker’s car, and his smile was oily. He clutched a leather briefcase at his side.
“I heard about the restructuring,” Arthur said, glancing at the empty desks where Julian and Travis used to sit. “Wise move, Skye. Cleaning house.”
“What do you want, Arthur?” Skye asked, not looking up from her laptop.
𝗥𝘦𝖺𝗱 𝗈𝘯 аn𝘺 𝖽𝖾𝗏iс𝘦 𝘰𝗻 g𝘢𝘭ոo𝗏еls.𝗰оm
“Where is my father? I haven’t been able to reach the clinic in Zurich.”
“Richard is… struggling,” Arthur said with feigned sadness. “There were complications with his treatment. The doctors have induced a coma to stabilize him. In his absence…” He placed a document on her desk. “He granted me emergency power of attorney.”
Skye glanced at the signature. It looked real. Or real enough.
“With Lucian indisposed and your father out of commission, you’re vulnerable. The board is getting nervous. They need a steady hand.”
“And that hand is yours?” Skye raised an eyebrow.
“I have experience,” Arthur said. “I can stabilize the stock. I can deal with Kensington.”
“You mean you can sell us out to him,” Parker spat from his corner.
Arthur ignored him. “Think about it, Skye. Blood is thicker than water.”
Skye studied him. She saw the greed in his eyes. She saw the opportunity.
“You’re right, Uncle,” Skye said, her voice softening. “I am overwhelmed. I… I could use some guidance.”
Parker’s jaw dropped. “Skye!”
“Quiet, Parker,” Skye snapped. She stood and walked toward Arthur. “If I give you access to the financials, can you promise to keep the wolves away?”
Arthur’s eyes lit up. “I promise, my dear. I will protect this company as if it were my own.”
Which is exactly what I’m afraid of, Skye thought.
“Fine,” Skye said. “I’ll grant you temporary administrative access to the central audit terminal. It’s the only way to verify the accounts before the board meeting.”
“Of course,” Arthur smiled — a shark scenting blood. “Just the audit.”
He walked out, whistling.
The moment he was gone, Parker exploded. “Are you insane? You just gave the fox the keys to the henhouse!”
Skye turned to face him. The softness had vanished from her expression, replaced by something hard as diamond.
“Exactly,” she whispered. “Because I need to see where he takes the eggs.”
She pulled out a burner phone and typed a message to Julian.
The bait is taken. Track the login.
In the secure basement of the Vance Estate, Julian Vance sat surrounded by monitors. Travis Tate sat beside him, nervously working through a bag of chips.
“Did she do it?” Travis asked, crumbs falling on his shirt.
“She did,” Julian said, watching the code scroll down the screen. “Arthur just logged in using the credentials Skye gave him. He thinks he has admin rights, but she only granted him access to a mirrored server. It looks real, acts real — but every command he types is being logged.”